


Safe & Sound (Praimfaya All Around)

by Jude81, Kendrene



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: End of the World, F/F, Finding Love, Fluff, Praimfaya, Safe & Sound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 23:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12178611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jude81/pseuds/Jude81, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kendrene/pseuds/Kendrene
Summary: Praimfaya is almost upon them, and Luna finds herself in the bunker with Raven Reyes.This basically follows canon through parts of Season 4. No one goes into space. Luna doesn't die. Lexa is gone. I'm sorry. There is minor Clarke/Niylah, which is canon.





	Safe & Sound (Praimfaya All Around)

**Author's Note:**

> So I really like the idea of Luna and Raven together, and I thought the scene when Luna comforted Raven was really well done, and I couldn't get it out of my head. We debated quite a bit about whether or not to have Lexa alive in this, but she is gone. This focuses mainly on Raven and Luna, but there is a Clarke/Niylah scene, which is pulled almost directly from canon. 
> 
> Disclaimer: We do not own the lyrics to Safe & Sound, and we are using them without permission, but we aren't making any money from the lyrics or this story etc. You should check out Stephanie Rice's version of this song. It is magnificent, and it inspired this story.

_ I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go _

_ When all those shadows almost killed your light _

_ I remember you said don't leave me here alone _

_ But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight _

 

She leaned against the far wall watching as the people moved about in sluggish lines, weaving between tables as they waited, holding dented plastic trays, waiting for the food. She snorted. What food? They’d had so little time to try and collect any food. Little time to collect any resources and supplies really. Their only saving grace was that the bunker had been fairly well equipped. But there were too many people. She knew it, Abby knew it, Clarke knew it. They all knew there wouldn’t be enough food for the next five years. 

She ignored the guard in the blue jacket who shoved a plastic tray at her. She shook her head. There were so many children in line. They needed to ration what they had now. She stared straight ahead, ignoring his huff and quiet snarl of “fine!” He moved on, handing out more trays, and she continued to ignore everyone else around her: the guards jabbering away, pushing through the crowd, the crying children. Skaikru children. The Trikru and Azgeda children knew better than to cry. They stood stoically in line, clutching the trays in their small hands, their faces sullen, their cheeks dry.

She didn’t see many Trikru and Azgeda other than the children. Some villagers and farmers, a few warriors, Roan included. Echo was somewhere, she knew. She was sure she had even seen a few from the Delphi clan. Her own people, the Boat Clan…none. She was the last of her people. She grimaced and pushed away from the wall, not wanting to be reminded of what it felt like to hold the last dying Boat Clan child in her arms.

She shuffled towards one of the long table, gesturing to a harried looking Harper and pointing at one of the black boxes. There were tens of thousands of them in storage, but it still wasn’t going to be enough. MREs they called them. She wasn’t sure what it meant, didn’t particularly care, but it was food. And she knew of a certain mechanic who hadn’t eaten in two days.

“For Raven,” Luna muttered needlessly. She was sure Harper had already figured that part out. But she shook her head when Harper shoved two into her arms, pushing one back.

“No.” She jerked her chin up, casting her eyes to the side. “Children,” she said simply, shrugging a little. She accepted the small bottle of water that Harper handed her with the one MRE pack. She smiled a little when Harper squeezed her hand. She grabbed one of the forks and turned quickly, skirting through the milling crowds of people, circling around the guards who were trying to make sure everyone stayed in a straight line.

She stepped out of the cafeteria and started walking down the long hallway, nodding to the people crouching in the long hallways, many eating out of the MRE packs, some comforting children, others trying to reorganize what was left of their lives.

She got turned around twice in the long hallways, before she finally found the lab again. She could hear the cursing from inside, and the moment she stepped through, she saw Murphy’s relieved face.

“Thank God. You can deal with her, be her sitter,” he snarked as he shouldered past Luna, his lean face twisted in a scowl. But she saw the glimmer of pain in his eyes before he was gone, slamming out of the door and cursing as he went.

She could only imagine what Raven had said to him. Or screamed at him. She set the MRE and bottle down on the table, turning her attention to Raven, eyes narrowing as she watched the mechanic pace, or stagger in a circle, breathing heavily, sweat glistening on her cheeks and neck. She was muttering under her breath, her hands gripping the sides of her head, fingers clawing at her hair. 

“Raven.” She waited a moment, her voice low and soft, but the other girl ignored her, or simply didn’t hear her, so lost in her own staggering frenzy. She approached her carefully, trying to ignore the growing worry in her breast. The air between them was warm, and thick, humidity hanging in the air enough that it was almost choking. She was sure there was a logical explanation for it, but she bit her lip, her hands reaching out as she watched in silent horror as Raven dragged her fingernails down her own face, leaving angry marks behind, as she choked and screamed, filling the air between them with harsh gasps and broken curses. 

She reached out, her hands grasping Raven’s upper arms, catching the other girl as she choked and clawed at her throat, as if she couldn’t breathe. Luna lowered her to the floor, pulling her into her arms, pressing her face against Raven’s damp face. She placed one hand on her belly, and the other on her chest, her long legs, coming around to bracket Raven’s. She held her firmly, but not too tight, rocking her slowly, whispering in Floukru to her, her voice rising and dropping with each syllable. 

_ I give myself to the miracle of the sea. I give myself to the miracle of the sea.  _ She repeated it over and over again, gently rocking Raven as the other girl shuddered and sobbed in her arms. Long moments passed, and Luna simply held her, whispering quietly in her ear, until eventually Raven’s sobs and shuddering stopped. She smiled when she felt the girl finally take a deep breath. 

Raven raised her hands, clasping them over Luna’s as she listened to the soft litany whispered against her ear. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the rise and fall of Luna’s voice, the soft motion of her body. She remembered the sound of the waves lapping at the shore, when she’d stopped Luna from leaving days ago. She let it soothe her now, imagining that this was probably what it felt like to float in the sea, buoyed in the waves that cradled her gently. The vise that had wrapped around her lungs slowly loosened, and the rasping draws of air smoothed out, and she could finally breathe again. 

She let her body sag into the welcome comfort of Luna’s, and tears dripped down her face. She never wanted to leave the warmth and safety of the cradle of Luna’s body. But she had to, there was far more at stake. The C02 scrubbers weren’t all functioning, and if she couldn’t fix them, they would all die from poisoned air. The bunker would become a silent tomb, preserved for the future generations to find. Except this was it. They were the last generation to walk the earth, and humanity was one breathe from extinction. 

She reluctantly pulled away from Luna, leaning forward, trying to gather her will to pull her legs under herself and stand. She could feel Luna’s warm breath still lightly buffeting her bare shoulder. She suddenly felt exposed in her grimy tank top, and she wrapped her arms around her waist, her head drooping forward, shoulders slumping. 

Luna bit her lip, making no move to touch the mechanic, realizing that the other girl needed the space, but she was surprised at the way it pulled on her heart strings, at how reluctant she was to let her arms drop to her sides. She immediately missed the solid weight of the slight body against her own. 

She had been almost instantly attracted to the feisty mechanic, and that attraction hadn’t dimmed even when the mechanic had pointed her gun at her days ago, refusing to let her leave in the boat. She’d told her that humanity needed Luna, she was their salvation. She was the last nightblood, and her blood could save them all. Except it hadn’t. 

And despite her initial anger at the young woman, she had only grown to admire the mechanic in the ensuing days, but she’d worried at the way she drove herself, refusing to rest or eat, shouldering the burden of saving them all onto her slim shoulders. She supposed Raven was like Clarke in that way, except Clarke was haunted by the choices she had made. Raven hadn’t had to choose who lived and died, but she had shouldered the responsibility to keep them alive. 

She sighed and leaned forward slightly, her hands coming up, resting her fingertips lightly on Raven’s arms. “Raven?” 

Raven turned her head, just barely enough to see over her shoulder, and grimaced when her eyes met Luna’s. She couldn’t help the fresh tears that spilled down her cheeks. She wanted to be strong. She needed to be strong, to do it alone, but she couldn’t. She rested her forehead against Luna’s chin, relieved when Luna’s arm wrapped around her waist again, pulling her back against her. She raised her head and pushed her face into the moist warmth of Luna’s neck. The girl smelled of dirt and sweat, and something underneath...a heavy salt...brine. She smiled. This was what the ocean smelled like. Sunlight and heavy, wet salt. She wondered how long it would take before her natural scent was replaced by the scent of stale air and aging metal. Eventually the would all smell like the prison that was meant to keep them safe and alive.

She let herself rest for a moment, before sighing tiredly. She wiped her eyes and cheeks, pulling herself into more of a sitting position, but not leaving the cradle of Luna’s body. “I need to fix the CO2 scrubbers. If I don’t, the lack of food will be the least of our worries. The food will outlive us all.” She snorted and shook her head. 

Luna nodded, leaning back slightly, pressing her palms flat against Raven’s stomach. She dragged her palms up slightly, her thumbs tracing the lattice of Raven’s ribs. She winced at the feel of each bone, jutting out obscenely. “You need to eat.” 

Raven shook her head, pushing forward, dragging her legs awkwardly under her. She tried to push up but fell back into Luna’s arms, cursing at her own clumsiness. 

“Raven, your people need you to be strong and whole. Please. You need to eat.” 

“My people need me to fix the damn CO2 scrubbers, so we don’t breathe in our own poison, Luna!” She hissed her name, anger bubbling under her skin, as she heaved herself to her feet, stumbling awkwardly. She would have fallen again, if it hadn’t been for the strong hands that wrapped around her hips holding her steady. She heard Luna scramble to her feet, more elegantly than herself, but no less noisy. 

“And how are you going to fix the scrubbers when you are too weak to stand or to think properly because you haven’t eaten?” 

Raven huffed, raising shaking hands to push her hair back from her face. She winced at the way they shook and at the feel of long strings of hair sticking to her sweaty face and neck. Luna was right. She cursed under her breath. She hated being wrong, and even more, she hated looking weak. She thumped her fist against her leg, before nodding sharply. She turned and hobbled over to the couch, plopping down with a small groan. 

Luna turned away, trying to hide her smile. It was a small victory, but a victory nevertheless. She grabbed the MRE and water, not wanting to give Raven too much time to worry about the scrubbers and decide she needed to continue working before eating. She sat down next to Raven, placing the pack in her lap with the fork. She held the bottle of water in her hand, watching as Raven struggled for a moment to open the pack. 

“Really? They couldn’t make these easier to fucking open?” She growled in defeat, shaking the pack in anger. She glared down at it, tears clouding her vision. She blinked rapidly and shook her head. She was about to ask Luna for help when a small blade filled her vision. She smiled and looked up nodding to the other girl. 

It was a small blade, only three inches long with a smooth handle. It was an almost cream color, white and shaded in yellow. She suspected it was bone. She carefully slit open the pack, smiling as she looked inside. She stared at it curiously for a moment before looking and reading the label on the pack. 

“So this is what spaghetti and meatballs looks like.” She picked up the fork and poked at the noodles and lumps of meat. She stirred it a bit before looking up at Luna who was watching her with amusement. 

“What?” 

Luna smiled and shook her head, “Nothing. Eat.” She cracked open the bottle of water offering it to Raven. 

Raven stared at Luna’s lap for a moment and then looked around, brow knit in confusion. “Where’s yours? Did you already eat?” 

Luna shook her head, “I’m fine. Not hungry.” Her stomach chose that moment to growl, and she flushed at Raven’s look of disbelief. 

“Riiiiight. Not hungry.” Raven shook her head and chuckled, before frowning again. “Why haven’t you eaten? Oh my god!” She dropped her fork, twisting her body almost violently so she could see Luna better. “Did they not give you food when you asked?” 

Raven dropped the packet on the low table in front of them, her anger quickly overwhelming her as she levered herself to her feet, intent upon ripping, whatever guard had withheld food from Luna, a new asshole.

Luna’s mouth dropped open a little, surprised at Raven’s sudden anger, but it warmed her heart at the thought that the mechanic cared enough to be angry. 

“I’m going to kill whatever guard denied you food,” hissed Raven as she stumbled slightly, but before she could step away from the couch and carry out her threat, Luna’s arms were around her hips, pulling her back down onto the couch. 

“As flattered as I am that you would commit murder for me,” she chuckled at the snarl twisting Raven’s face, “I was offered food by two different people.” She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Raven’s flushed face. “There…” she licked her lips, distracted by the gold light sparking in Raven’s black eyes. Her gaze drifted lower to plump, dark pink lips, and she bit her own lip wondering what Raven’s would taste like, how they would feel pressed against her own. 

Raven was sure she had stopped breathing for a moment. She couldn’t deny the blatant tenderness that hid in the dips and curves of Luna’s face, the clear, soft affection that gleamed in her brown eyes. She started to lean forward, her gaze fixed on Luna’s mouth, when her own stomach growled fiercely. She winced at the way Luna’s eyes widened, and she pulled away, chuckling nervously. She glanced down at her hands, twisting her fingers together before she reached out for the packet and fork again. She held them out to Luna who shook her head. 

“No, Raven. You need to eat it all.” 

“And what about you? When are you going to eat?” 

Luna grimaced and sighed. “So many children,” she mumbled. She winced and cursed herself when she saw Raven’s hands fall into her lap, still holding the MRE packet. 

“We both eat, Luna. Or neither of us eat.” Raven stared hard at the older girl, refusing to bed and when Luna finally nodded her head, she breathed a sigh of relief. She shifted closer to Luna and laid back on the couch, raising her bad leg and setting it carefully on the lower table. She smiled when Luna shifted closer and leaned back also. She offered the other woman the first bite, and rolled her eyes when she refused. 

Raven took a bite, groaning loudly at the taste. She’d never tasted anything like it before, and she flushed at Luna’s wide-eyed look. “You taste and tell me you don’t want to groan also.” 

Luna chuckled and took a bite, smiling and nodding her head. It was different, perhaps not quite moan-worthy, but it was filling. They spent long moments, eating slowly and drinking the water, their fingers brushing against each other, lingering as they passed the fork back and forth between them. Too soon they had finished the food and the water, neither full, but their hunger pangs momentarily sated. 

Luna dropped the packet on the table, leaning forward and turning to the side so she could see Raven. The younger girl’s eyes were closed, her breathing deepening by the second. Luna reached out to wake her up, but hesitated, her hand hanging between them, before she rested it lightly on Raven’s bad leg. She leaned over, examining the brace. She had seen Raven put it on and take it off. She worried that she probably shouldn’t take it off her without her permission, but she knew the brace hurt, and Raven needed it to walk. But it was obvious that she needed to sleep now. It only took a moment, before she was carefully pulling the brace off of Raven’s leg. She was surprised the girl hadn’t woken, only stirred in her sleep. 

She stood and gently moved Raven’s leg, tipping the girl down, so she was laying on the couch. She waited a moment, making sure she wasn’t going to wake up, before she got up and started exploring the lab. It took a few minutes, but she found a blanket and returned to the couch, draping it over Raven, tucking it in. She stood there, looking down at the other girl, before leaning down and pressing her lips to her forehead. 

Raven was vaguely aware of her body being moved, and she sighed as she felt her cramped muscles slowly loosen as her body sunk into the couch. She could hear movement, but she was too exhausted to open her eyes, but when she felt silky warmth pressed against her forehead, she managed to drag her hand out from under the blanket, fingers twitching in the air. 

“Ssssstay,” she slurred in her exhaustion as her hand dropped to the blanket. She fumbled and patted it, her fogged brain trying to get the message across. 

“Pleaaaase, don’t leave me.”

And she sighed in contentment, when she felt deft hands move her slightly, and she rolled to make room as a body pressed between her back and the back of the couch. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, warm air buffeting her shoulder, and she smiled as she drifted off to sleep. 

“I won’t. You’re safe here with me.”

The lights in the lab flickered on a timer, slowly dimming. It was quiet except for the small hum of the computers and air filtration. The only light in the lab coming from the computer screens, and the screen that showed the outside cameras. They drifted off to sleep, ignorant of the red and green glow on the horizon. 

Praimfaya. 

**************************

_ Just close your eyes, the sun is going down _

_ You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now _

_ Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound _

 

As everyone’s eyes were glued to the monitors in the control room, Clarke saw her chance to leave. She did so quietly, discreetly, like a guest who had overstayed their welcome tiptoeing out of a house in the early morning while everyone was still fast asleep. 

She felt drained, weary to the bone, rattled by her argument with Luna. Clarke knew that refusing to open the bunker had been the right choice, considering they already were over capacity, but the Floukru leader’s words had cut her all the same.  The bunker was equipped to hold 2,000 people for roughly four years, maybe longer. At last count, they had 2,179 people crammed into the bunker. Too many. 

The irony wasn’t lost on her though. Luna had been ready to let all of humanity die just a few days ago. So perhaps her earlier argument had been hypocritical when she’d begged Clarke to open the doors, to allow more inside. She wondered what had changed Luna’s mind. Or perhaps it was a who and not a what. 

She rubbed her face roughly, trying to push the sleepy away. She hadn’t slept in days, weeks really. Not since Lexa. Seeing her again in the City of Light had been both a blessing and a curse: touching her, hearing her whispers against her cheek. She felt her eyes burn with salt, the gaping wound in her breast icing over. She wondered if the pain would ever lessen, or if it would simply fester for the rest of her life. She snorted at the thought. It wasn’t as if she was going to live long. There simply wasn’t enough food in the bunker for all of them. And the scrubby thingies. She still wasn’t sure what Raven had meant, but it had to do with oxygen. Maybe dying of starvation wasn’t going to be a problem after all. Maybe they would all just suffocate, run out of air. Just like on the Ark. 

She sighed heavily.  Whatever Luna said, whatever silent accusation her eyes held from that moment onward, Clarke knew the older woman had been right on one thing. The blood of those that were burning just outside was on Clarke’s hands. No news that really - it had been like that from the beginning - she’d just have more faces to put in her sketchbooks as a reminder of all the death she’d caused. 

What Clarke didn’t need - she reflected as she staggered down the stairwell leading from the command center - was to watch more people burn. She’d had her fill of that, and then some.  But still she couldn’t stop seeing them. They walked with her down the corridor, hundreds of faces, young and old, weathered and baby-fresh, scarred and tattooed, each with naked terror splitting their faces as they pounded on the heavy metal doors, begging to be let inside.

She reached out, her hand pressing heavily against the cold, cement of the walls. She could barely see the bottom of the stairs or the long hallway.  At Raven’s insistence, they had shut the main power down until the worst of the radiation wave had passed, to avoid frying any part of the bunker’s mainframe, so the stairs were plunged in darkness save for a weak strip of emergency lighting every couple of meters. 

When she got to the main level everything was quiet, only a few people wandering the corridors like sleep-walkers. It was as if everyone could feel what was going on above ground, and holding their collective breaths until the worst of it was over.

She stumbled down the corridor, trying not to jump at the shadows, convinced that they were ghosts dogging her every step. She deserved it. She would never be without them. Exhaustion and guilt weighed down every step she took, as she slowly made her way down to...she snorted. There was no where to go. Nowhere to hide from their accusing eyes. 

She opened the door at the end of the corridor, knowing Raven had overridden the automatic locking mechanism to save energy. She tugged at it, barely managing to get it open before slipping through. She blinked her eyes, frozen in place at the low murmur of voices and occasional wail of a baby. A few dozen people were in the corridor, many laying down trying to get some rest. Some were eating, others just sitting silently. None of the few children were playing. They clung to their mothers and fathers, and she winced at their pale faces. It was clear that none of them had found rooms yet, and she wondered how they would house them all. More importantly, how would they feed them all. She was too tired to worry about it now, but she knew they would need to set up a fair rationing system. 

She didn’t bother to nod to any of them as she picked her way carefully down the corridor, stepping over bodies and small bags of what she assumed were all that they had managed to carry with them. Most didn’t bother to look up as she walked by, some did, but only glared at her, the heat of their gazes, making her skin prickle. A few glanced up and then looked away, whether out of guilt or sorry or simply disgust, she wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter. 

She came to a fourway center, hesitating as she tried to remember, which was to medical and which way to Raven’s labs. She bit her lip, before deciding against either, and took the right corridor. 

He stepped out of the shadows, huge and menacing, and she almost screamed. She stepped back hurriedly, raising her arms to defend herself, but when he stepped into the weak light, she hesitated. The lines of his face were soaked in grief, and tears glistened on his cheeks. His dark hair was streaked with gray and hung around his face, having come loose from his braids. 

“You have to let them in. My son…” he choked as he gestured towards the ceiling. “My son is at the door.” He stepped closer to her, his hands clenching and unclenching helplessly into the air. “He was late...but he is here...at the door….” 

His voice was rough and grating, but she could hear clearly each bleeding syllable as they fell from his thick lips. She felt her head swim, tears burning her eyes, and she could barely breathe. She stepped back, wishing she could simply crumple to the ground and scream. 

_ Please open the door. Let them in. Let my son in.  _ The words whispered and slithered against her flesh, burrowing deeply into her ears, piercing the dull roar of her own sorrow. She shook her head, steeling herself. They couldn’t. Too many. 

“I can’t...there are too many already…” she shook her head, holding up her hands, backing up towards the other corridor. He advanced on her, his hands reaching for her, his words pressing harshly against her skin. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Then let me go out. He can have my place. Please.” 

She saw his lips move, heard his words reverberate inside her head. She saw the gleam of hope in his eyes, and she knew it was no use. She had to be strong enough. Strong enough to hold the line, to crush what hope he had left. 

“I’m sorry. It is too late. Praimfaya is here.” She whispered the last words, her skin buzzing, and the roaring in her ears drowning out his anguished cry as he fell to his knees. She wanted to reach out and touch him, tell him if she could have saved his son, she would have. But there was no point. She turned and stumbled away, stopping only to retch in the shadows. She left him on his knees, mourning his son. 

It was long moments before her head was clear enough again for her to focus. She leaned against the wall, alone in the corridor, surprised there weren’t any people. She looked around, unsure where she was before she sighed. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the hastily drawn map. She followed the corridor down another hundred feet, before she saw the sign indicating what corridor she was in. 

She traced the line on the map, noting she wasn’t far from the D dorms.  _ She  _ was there. Clarke hesitated, chewing nervously on her lips.  _ She _ hadn’t spoken to Clarke at all today, ignoring her since last night when they’d argued about the fact that so few Trikru had made it to the bunker.  _ She’d _ wanted to wait, wanted them to choose more fairly. But Clarke had decided, first come, first saved. But it hadn’t been fair, because most of the Arkers had already been at the bunker before it was decided. 

Clarke knew  _ she _ was right. It hadn’t been fair, but Clarke didn’t know how to choose who would live and die. She’d had enough choosing for a lifetime, so she had simply declared that those who made it to the bunker first were saved first. And in the end, it didn’t matter. Clarke had still chosen who would live and who would die. 

She carefully folded the map, slipping it back into her pocket, her decision made. 

**************************

_ Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire _

_ The war outside our door keeps raging on _

_ Hold onto this lullaby even when the musics gone, gone. _

 

Niylah sighed, tossing around on the hard cot. It was a wonder she’d managed to keep the room for herself, even though the term room was a bit too generous. Still it was spacious enough to fit her comfortably, perhaps accommodate a second person, and she even had the luxury of a private bathroom. 

Nobody had come to kick her out or reassign her yet, but then again she’d noticed that most of her people seemed to avoid coming into the D Dorm wing all together, since it was where most of the Sky People had ended grouping up. 

She wondered why she had picked this particular room as living quarters, and knew she was lying to herself when she pushed away the notion that the choice had been a conscious one, so that she could be close to one particular blonde.

As her mind turned to Clarke she felt her mood sour, remembering their argument from the night before. Niylah had been bitter - she still was - at the fact that Clarke deciding people would get a place in the bunker on a first come, first saved basis had meant so many Trikru hadn’t made the cut in time. 

She didn’t need to go into the control room and stare at the screens that showed them the outside to know that they were still there, shouting and desperate, banging their fists bloody on the bunker’s doors to be let in. 

Silent tears streaked her cheeks and Niylah wiped at her face angrily, heart heavy with the knowledge that most of her clan was dying, if not already dead. 

And yet the division into clans and tribes seemed laughable and trivial, and she knew that Clarke had done her best - not completely succeeding perhaps - but she’d had the strength to make the terrible choice when nobody else wouldn’t. 

The grounders’ own leaders - Roan, Indra, Luna - had failed, too blinded by their own loyalties to carry on Heda’s vision. Nyilah sat up with a grimace, foregoing sleep, grinning sadly at the irony of missing Lexa when she’d vowed to hate the woman to her last breath for the burden the Commander had placed on Clarke. 

And how maddening it was, that she was there to witness the vicious cycle again, the only one really willing to help Clarke pull herself back together without asking nothing in return. 

How saddening it was that she knew she’d never have the blonde’s heart - not even in a fraction of the way Lexa had experienced it. 

How devastating that it was not her place to ask for it, but take whatever friendship Clarke was still capable of offering. 

Niylah wanted to cry again, not for herself but for this girl that had fallen from the sky giving off the same light of the stars and slowly burning herself out in saving people that did not deserve to be saved, and never had taken a moment to thank her for it.

She buried her face in the thin pillow, pulling the blanket up tighter around her shoulders. She wondered if the end of the world could have been avoided, if maybe the Skaikru hadn’t come down to earth, maybe the world would have been spared. Or maybe they would have all died anyway. 

She could feel the acid churning in her stomach, and she could taste the bitterness on her tongue. Her chest was cold and each breath hurt, and she supposed this was what betrayal and pain felt like. She could admit it here, in the dim candle light while she lay curled up on the small bed. She felt betrayed by Clarke. Clarke’s people had been saved, but not her own. Her father was gone, her clan almost destroyed, very few had made it to the bunker in time to secure a coveted spot. No, most of the spots had gone to the Skaikru who had already been at the bunker. 

She didn’t want to hate Clarke, she couldn’t hate her. She laughed out loud, the sound startling her in the empty room. She could never hate Clarke. Despite everything, Clarke was her only real friend, and she still admired her, and cared for her. She didn’t love her, not the way Clarke had loved Lexa, and certainly not the way it had been rumored that Lexa had loved Clarke. She knew Clarke ached with the loss of Lexa, she knew that Clarke cried herself to sleep at night. And even when it was Niylah that Clarke touched and kissed, she knew it was Lexa that Clarke thought about. And she could live with that. She cared enough for Clarke to be the warm body, the safe haven that the other girl needed. 

She sniffled in the quiet room, wiping the drying tears off her cheeks. It was a moment before she realized that someone was knocking on the door. She knew who it was before she even opened her mouth to tell them to enter. Niylah heard the hesitant shuffle of feet, and when she finally turned and looked over her shoulder, she wasn’t surprised to see the blonde standing there with stooped shoulders and shame burning in her cheeks. 

She sighed, unable to hold her words back, “I guess we weren’t all your people after all.” 

“Niylah.”

“Just get in.” She raised her blanketed arm, scooching back slightly, the invitation clear. And when Clarke sat down and curled her body into the crook of Niylah’s own, she wrapped her arm around Clarke’s waist, pressing her face into her neck. 

Clarke tangled her fingers with Niylah’s, grateful for the comfort, for Niylah’s ability to forgive her. “If I open the door and everyone in this bunker dies, then who will run the hydroponic farm, and the water reclamation units, and the air scrubbers? This isn’t about saving my people, Niylah. It’s about saving the human race.”

Niylah said nothing, pain burning her throat, tears dripping down her cheeks again. She buried her face in Clarke’s neck, tightening her arm around her middle, afraid of what the future would bring them, but knowing she wouldn’t have to face it alone. They were safe. Here. Together, at least for a little while. 

************************* 

She blinked blearily, her eyes shifting as she she tried to focus. She yawned and stretched, or at least tried to stretch, but a heavy arm around her waist kept her from moving. She twisted her head around, smiling at the sight of wild curls covering Luna’s face. She reached up over her shoulder, and gently moved some of the strands away from Luna’s face. 

“Hey.” She smiled as Luna groaned and opened her eyes, shifting behind her. She bit her lip when she felt Luna tighten her arm around her waist, and she had to admit there was something solid and comforting about the other woman. 

“Hi.” Luna yawned, not bothering to move too much, content with just laying there with Raven in her arms. She was surprised she’d slept. She didn’t think she would, too worried about the lack of food, of her people dying outside at the door, the world ending. But none of that had seemed as frightening or as hopeless with Raven in her arms. 

Raven said nothing for long moments, simply soaking in the warmth of the other woman, but soon her mind drifted to all that she needed to fix, mainly the scrubbers. She sighed and rolled forward, gathering her limbs together in an effort to push herself upward. It took a moment of awkward maneuvering, and if it hadn’t been for Luna’s steadying hands on her back and then her waist and hips, she probably would have simply fallen off the couch.

She gingerly placed her feet on the ground, wincing at the tingles in her good leg, wincing even more at the ache in her hips from her damaged leg. It was a dead weight. She rested her elbows on her knees, her face in her hands. She wasn’t sure how long had passed, but she knew it was hours, which meant...Praimfaya. 

“Do you think it’s here?” Her voice was low and scratchy, and her tongue felt too thick for her throat. She couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of Raven’s ragged breaths, and the low hum of the computers. 

The world was ending, surely there must be some sound, some noise to mark its passing? Surely she should have felt it, felt each death like a knife between her ribs. Her people, dying. Gone. 

“It’s so quiet.” She pushed herself up to sit next to Raven, mindful not to jostle the other girl. She bent down and cocked her head, trying to see the younger girl’s face, but she kept it averted. 

“Raven.” 

“Raven.” 

“What!?” The other girl snapped as she finally turned and looked at Luna, ignoring the sharp ache in her leg as she twisted her body. “What do you want me to say, Luna?”

“It’s here, ok? It’s here, it must be, an-an…” her voice trailed off in a sharp choking sob, and she dropped her face into her hands, trying to ignore the silence in the room, tried not to imagine the fire burning across the earth, destroying everything it touched. 

She took a deep shuddering breath, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. She carefully levered herself to her feet, swaying slightly before taking a step away from Luna. One step, then two. She kept her back to the older girl, unable or unwilling to meet her gaze. 

“I need to finish this. The scrubbers.” Her voice was high and weak, and she wondered who was speaking for her. She didn’t recognize herself anymore when she caught brief glimpses of herself in the computer monitors. Too thin, hair a mess, her face carved of stone in a caricature of rigor mortis. 

She shuffled to the table, grabbing the data pad off of it, pretending to read the latest sequence, and she had the vague thought that she probably wasn’t fooling Luna. The older girl was wise beyond her years, stubborn, probably as stubborn as Raven; and she’d read Raven like an open book, stripping her bare of all her secrets, leaving no place untouched, no page unturned. 

Luna stood, wiping her hands down her front, pulling at her shirt in an effort to straighten it at least a little. Not that it mattered, no one would care. But the small gestures felt normal, routine, and she took small comfort in them. 

“I’m going to the command center. To see…” She waited staring at Raven’s back, waiting for something she didn’t even know how to explain. But when Raven didn’t acknowledge her, she nodded her head and left. 

**************************** 

It took less time than she would have imagined to reach the command center, and yet each footstep had felt like it was only the first in an unmeasurably long journey. She wished it had taken longer. She stared up at the stairs, grasping the railing, telling herself that it was just a few more steps. She needed to see, needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt. She owed it to her own people, what was left of the Boat Clan, to the Trikru, the Blue Cliff, and even the Azgeda. They had all been Heda’s people in life and in death. And now...they were all hers in death. 

She reached the top and pushed against the door, carefully slipping inside. She was surprised to see the tall man with the beard. The one with the kind eyes. Kane. Kane they called him. He stood before the monitors, his arms clasped behind. Tall and straight like the towering oaks in the Trikru forest, nothing like the short and scrubby fir trees that had bordered the dunes and cliffs of Boat Clan territory. 

He had been a warrior, she remembered. He’d been in charge of the Skaikru warriors on their floating ship in the sky. She supposed he was used to this kind of destruction, this kind of death. She’d heard rumors that the Skaikru used to push people out of their ship in the sky, to die in the cold void. Alone and forgotten. 

She gingerly picked her way past the scattered chairs, eyeing the sleeping woman slumped in the chair. She wore the Skaikru warrior garb, and had fallen asleep at her post. Luna didn’t blame her. Sleep would be harsh mistress for many in the bunker. 

She stood next to him, her gaze on the floor, not quite ready to look at the monitors. Raven had explained it to her, why they could see outside. And she had mostly just accepted what the other girl said, her mind too burdened with what was to come to ask questions. 

She said nothing, and he said nothing, neither acknowledging the other. She tilted her her head peering up at him. A tremulous smile slipped across her face before dissolving into the harsh salt welling in her eyes. 

He was a statue, a weeping Mary, like in the books she had seen from when she was a child. She wondered if he had actually passed with the rest of the souls, and the only proof of his sorrow were the tears dripping down his face. 

She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to the monitors before her. 

“Don’t.” 

*************************

_ Just close your eyes, the sun is going down _

_ You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now _

_ Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound _

She froze, the voice unexpected but welcome. 

“You don’t need to do this.” 

She shook her head, “I do. I do need to do this. These are my people also.” 

Raven grabbed the railing, hastily maneuvering her way up the steps, trying not to gasp at the pain searing her hips. She just needed to reach the top. 

“Luna, look at me.” She grasped Luna by the shoulder, tugging until the older girl conceded and turned to look at her. 

“There is nothing you can do for them. Watching will not help, it won’t change anything.” 

“Raven, I owe them this. There is no one to pray for them, to send their souls to the stars and to the sea.” 

Raven swallowed hard, bringing both hands to Luna’s face.She brushed the hair from her eyes, pushing curls behind her ears. She brushed her thumbs lightly across Luna’s cheekbones, smiling slightly at the way the light flared in the other girl’s eyes. She pressed her forehead against Luna’s, her arms slipping down until they came to rest around Luna’s hips. 

“They’re all dead.” 

Raven tilted her head, raising her face so her nose brushed against Luna’s. Three words that carried all of the sorrow and pain and guilt of the living. She nodded, “I will pray with you.” 

She pulled back just enough to wrap Luna fully in her arms, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other cupping the back of her head, holding her firmly in place. 

Raven looked up at the monitors, her heart pounding loudly in her ears, barely able to comprehend what she saw. The sky had turned green, a sickly shade she had never seen before, the horizon broken by trees burning from the inside out, like dying embers. But it was the silhouettes, the last traces of a writhing mass of humanity, frozen and crumbling into ash. 

She felt Luna’s body shake in her arms, and she dropped her gaze, nuzzling her face into Luna’s. “You’re all right. I’ve got you, darling. You’re safe and sound.” 

Luna glanced up, her nose brushing against Raven’s chin. She hesitated for a brief moment, her gaze searching Raven’s, before finally settling on the gentle quirk of her mouth. She wrapped her arms tightly around Raven, and gently pressed her mouth against Raven’s. And when the other girl opened her mouth slightly, she sunk into her warm embrace. 

Safe and sound with Praimfaya all around. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
